Senate confirms 15 more judges, wrapping up a GOP priority

WASHINGTON ― Democrats on Thursday agreed to expedite votes on 15 of President Donald Trump's nominees to lifetime federal court seats so they could allow vulnerable members to campaign less than a month before the November midterm elections. That's when the GOP began accusing Democrats of condoning "mob rule" after raucous demonstrators opposing Brett Kavanaugh's Supreme Court nomination harangued GOP lawmakers at the Capitol last week. "They want more. And I'm afraid this is only Phase One of the meltdown".

What's unclear is whether GOP unity is enough to preserve the GOP power in Congress.

The Kentucky Republican's remarks on the Senate floor were an extended version of a message party leaders have delivered since last week.

Both parties have detected a surge in engagement among GOP and conservative voters since the nation's attention was grabbed by the confirmation battle over Kavanaugh, including allegations of sexual misconduct that he denied.

But Democrats are defending 25 seats, so being back home is more consequential for them. McConnell has called it a political gift.

A handful of races have seen significant spending by outside groups, including the 30th District, where Democrat Claire Wilson seeks to oust Republican incumbent Sen.

Democrats say Trump's rhetoric since launching his 2016 campaign has been provocative, pugnacious and at times racist.

Crowds at Trump campaign rallies have long chanted that about 2016 Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.

Nearly a decade ago, Democrats also assailed the Tea Party, grassroots conservatives who rallied against President Barack Obama's health care law and who angrily shouted down lawmakers at town hall meetings. Republicans have said some received death threats and were stalked at their homes. While Republican and Democratic voters overall are equally likely to say they are more enthusiastic to cast a vote this year than they usually are (about six in ten in each party), gender plays a distinctive role in enthusiasm between the parties. (Republicans are especially likely to say they are benefiting from an improved economy: 42% say their family is better off financially than they were a year ago, almost double the percentage of independents who say this, and more than three times the percentage of Democrats.) Republicans also cite immigration.

Democrats fought tooth and nail to stop Kavanaugh's candidacy, claiming that the accomplished, conservative-minded judge was not suited to the Supreme Court, which will now tilt decisively to a more Republican-friendly panel.

"I think that people understand that there's a difference between the people talking on national news and the people they know in their neighborhood", he said. And he pointedly noted that these activities followed last year's shooting of GOP lawmakers at a morning baseball practice by "a politically crazed gunman".

Bills to repeal both the Sedition Act and the death penalty are expected to be tabled before the parliament which sits on Monday. The government's announcement was "an encouraging sign", Amnesty International's Kumi Naidoo said in a statement .

While the crew endured higher than normal G-force, Russian and USA space officials say they are in good condition. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that the most important thing was that the two men were alive.

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